Thymostimulin effect on the immune response in pulmonary carcinoma with or without surgical treatment.

Experience with 54 patients affected by pulmonary carcinoma treated or not with surgery and undergoing thymostimulin administration during long-term follow-up (70 mg i.m. every other day for 3 months), is reported. Drug intolerance was observed in 5.5% of cases. In patients who were able to complete the therapeutic cycle (50 cases) objective improvement of Performance Status was obtained in 46% of cases and subjective improvement in nearly 90%. The course of neoplastic disease showed definite progression (presence of local recurrence or distant metastasis) in 20% of cases, remission in 6%. No case of onset of pulmonary or extrapulmonary infections was observed. After treatment, a significant increase (between 24% and 108%) in blood parameters (circulation lymphocytes, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD16, IgG, IgA, IgM) was observed in 28-56% of cases. As for CD4 increase, this was accompanied by concomitantly positive Merieaux test in 44.5% of cases. Quiescence or complete remission has appeared to occur together with high CD16 values, progression with high CD8 and low CD16 values.